The world’s first Blobfish Café is coming to London

Not everyone likes to snuggle up to a cuddly kitty while they’re sipping a double-foam soy latte, as you can in the popular cat cafés of the world. No. In fact, many of us want to stare deep into the disappointed eyes of a puffy, fleshy creature from the depths of the sea. The owners of London’s new Blobfish Café are about to fill this gaping hole in the market with a venue that gives diners the opportunity for some quality one-on-one time with a blobfish, 2013’s World’s Ugliest Animal, according to the Ugly Animal Preservation Society. Along with constant internet ridicule and mocking, blobfish are also victims of Australia’s deep sea trawling industry and are now an endangered species.

The blobfish usually lives at depths of 300 feet or more, so safely transporting them from their Antipodean home and putting them on display in a café in London is no small feat. According to the Blobfish Café website, they have been working with “some of the world’s top marine biologists” to solve these problems. Next summer, they will be ready to open with the café’s star attractions, three smooth-headed blobfish named Barry, Lorcan and Lady Swift.

Ugly animal lovers will, of course, be concerned for the well-being of Barry, Lorcan and Lady Swift, but the café’s site assures readers that “every possible measure has been taken to safely transport these Australian ocean floor dwellers and happily re-home them in an East London pop-up aquarium”.

There will be no cover charge for patrons to come in and see the blobby trio. The café will run solely on the profits from selling food and drinks, including weekly deep-sea themed eight-course menus. If you’d like to ask Lorcan how he feels about watching as diners chow down on his undersea buddies, you can send Lorcan the Blobfish a Tweet.